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M99.40: Connective tissue stenosis of neural canal Head region

Changes to your connective tissue have caused a constriction in your vertebral canal where your head meets your cervical spine.

The spine consists of several sections. The cervical spine begins below the head. The cervical spine is very mobile. Below that is the thoracic spine. The ribs are attached to the thoracic spine. Below the thoracic spine is the lumbar spine. The lumbar spine is also very mobile and it bears a large part of the body’s weight. After the lumbar spine, the sacrum and coccyx join. The vertebrae form the vertebral canal on the rear of the spinal column. The spinal cord runs in the vertebral canal. Nerve fibers run from the brain into the body via the spinal cord and form nerves there. Every nerve is responsible for a particular part of the skin and for certain muscles. These nerves are important for instance in enabling you to feel and move the muscles. In the spine there are various ligaments made from connective tissue. These ligaments stabilize the spine.

Wear and tear can result in changes in the connective tissue. Ligaments made of connective tissue can get thicker, for example, and thus constrict the vertebral canal. When the vertebral canal is narrowed, the spinal cord can be damaged.

The narrowing of the spinal canal can cause pain or sensitivity disorders. This can affect your neck or arms, for example. For example, the skin in the affected areas may tingle or be numb. It may also be that you are no longer able to move certain muscles properly. It may also impair your breathing.

Additional indicator

On medical documents, the ICD code is often appended by letters that indicate the diagnostic certainty or the affected side of the body.

  • G: Confirmed diagnosis
  • V: Tentative diagnosis
  • Z: Condition after
  • A: Excluded diagnosis
  • L: Left
  • R: Right
  • B: Both sides

Further information

Note

This information is not intended for self-diagnosis and does not replace professional medical advice from a doctor. If you find an ICD code on a personal medical document, please also note the additional indicator used for diagnostic confidence.
Your doctor will assist you with any health-related questions and explain the ICD diagnosis code to you in a direct consultation if necessary.

Source

Provided by the non-profit organization “Was hab’ ich?” gemeinnützige GmbH on behalf of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG).